In the early '70s, Paul Levitz broke into the comic book business as a writer and rose through the ranks at DC Comics before becoming the President of the company. Along the way, he had storied runs as a writer and an editor for Batman and the Legion of Super-Heroes. Nearly a decade ago, Levitz left the executive world behind to refocus on his writing.

At the 2018 Eisner Awards, Levitz was among the nominees for the Hall of Fame Award. While he didn't go home with the award this year, his place in the industry is secure.

At San Diego Comic-Con, Levitz stopped by the SYFY WIRE studio to discuss Brooklyn Blood, his first story outside of DC in almost four decades. It's a supernatural thriller with some Lovecraftian touches that also mixes in some of the real-world history behind Brooklyn's most devastating disasters. For this story, Levitz is teaming up with artist Tim Hamilton and Dark Horse Comics is publishing the collected edition. According to Levitz, Brooklyn Blood was born out of a desire to see if he could step outside of the superhero genre.

"I've written close to 500 comic book stories," said Levitz. "Most of them superhero stories of one flavor or another... I've loved mystery stories since I was a kid reading Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers, and Ed McBain."

Levitz likened his time in charge of DC to managing the New York Yankees before expressing his gratitude for the financial security it provided him. Now, Levitz is embracing his freedom to expand his creative horizons and has no plans to slow down anytime soon.